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Friday, 11 August 2017

In the late nineteenth century, Newport, Rhode Island, is home to some of America s wealthiest citizens. It s also the beat of society reporter Emma Cross, a less well-heeled cousin to the illustrious Vanderbilts, who occasionally moonlights in solving murders . . .Covering a polo match for the Observer, Emma s job is to take note of the real players off the field Newport s well-bred elite. But the fashionable facade is breached when a woman in gaudy clothing creates a scene demanding to speak to the wife of Senator George Wetmore until she is escorted off the grounds by the police. The next morning, police detective Jesse Whyte asks Emma to meet him at the Wetmores Bellevue Avenue home, Chateau sur Mer, where the senator s wife, Edith, has mysteriously asked to see her. Upon entering the mansion, Emma is confronted with a crime scene the intruder from the polo match lies dead at the foot of a grand staircase. To avoid scandal, Edith Wetmore implores Emma to use her reporter skills and her discretion to investigate. When Emma learns the victim was a prostitute and pregnant she wonders if the senator was being blackmailed. As Emma peels back layers of deception and family secrets, she may have met her match in a desperate killer who will trample anyone who gets in the way... (Summary via Goodreads)I feel like I am going to sound like a broken record when I write a review for one of Alyssa Maxwell's books. Her books are AWESOME !! I cannot say it enough. I don't know that I am giving them justice when I review them.When you read one of Maxwell's books whether it is A Gilded Newport Mystery or A Lady and Lady's Maid book, you are in for a journey ! Murder at Chateau sur Mer is her latest book in the A Gilded Newport Mystery series and while you are reading it you will feel like you took a ride in a time machine. If you have been reading this series, you are very familiar with Emma Cross and her way of life.....her independence and her will to help any one that knocks on her door and even those that don't. And you also know that she somehow gets involved in murder cases whether the police want her help or not.Well Murder at Chateau sur Mer is no exception although slightly different. Although Emma is interested in the murder that occured and, of course, would like to find justice for the deceased, she is taken back when she is asked to look into the death.....by the wife of the husband accused. Emma does not know the Wetmore's very well but everyone knows them to a point, after all George Wetmore is a Senator. Mrs. Wetmore does not believe that the police will do a throrough job investigating the case because the woman that was murdered was a lady of the evening. She knows that Emma is just the right person to ask to look into the woman's death.Emma will stop at nothing when she is on a case. She will go above and beyond what others would shy away from to find justice....even if it means going into a Gentlemen's Only establishment to question a person of interest.As you read you cannot help but fall in love with Emma and you can truly understand how two men could have feelings for her. You can also understand her dilemma about maintaining her independence and wanting to do more in the world than be someone's wife. She is someone for all girl's to look up to and to aspire to be like.....even if she is fictional and from a time long ago.There is so much to say about Murder at Chateau sur Mer, Emma Cross, and Aylssa Maxwell's talent for story telling, but to talk about it and to read it first hand are 2 different things entirely. I highly recommend picking this book up, adding it to your to read list and taking a journey with Emma. You will feel like a different person afterwards......Review by Missi S.